The Association between Adult Sport, Fitness, and Recreational Physical Activity and Number and Age of Children Present in the Household: A Secondary Analysis Using NHANES

Jerraco L. Johnson (), Ailton Coleman, Jamila L. Kwarteng, Ahondju U. Holmes, Dulcie Kermah, Marino A. Bruce and Bettina M. Beech
Additional contact information
Jerraco L. Johnson: Department of Kinesiology, Health Promotion, and Recreation, University of North Texas, Denton, TX 76203, USA
Ailton Coleman: Department of Health Sciences, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA 22807, USA
Jamila L. Kwarteng: Division of Community Health, Institute for Health and Equity, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI 53226, USA
Ahondju U. Holmes: University of Oklahoma Stephenson Cancer Center, Oklahoma City, OK 73014, USA
Dulcie Kermah: Urban Health Institute Student Research Core Charles R., Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, Los Angeles, CA 90059, USA
Marino A. Bruce: Department of Health Systems and Population Health Sciences, University of Houston Tilman J. Fertitta Family College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77021, USA
Bettina M. Beech: Department of Health Systems and Population Health Sciences, University of Houston Tilman J. Fertitta Family College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77021, USA

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 11, 1-13

Abstract: Only one in three adults in the United States meets the weekly recommendation for physical activity (PA). The presence of children in the home may restrict adult PA. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between adult moderate and vigorous sport, fitness, and recreational physical activities and the number and age (0–5 and 6–17) of children in their household. Secondary data were drawn from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 2007–2016. Adults with complete survey data for self-reported moderate (MPA) and vigorous physical activities (VPA), number of children in the home, and other sociodemographic variables were included. The final sample included 2034 adults from 22–65 years of age. Analyses included ANOVAs and separate multivariable regression analyses to determine if the number of children in the household aged 0–5 and 6–17 were significant predictors of weekly moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) after controlling for covariates. For MPA, no differences were found between adult PA regardless of the number and age of children in the home. For VPA, adults with two or more children aged 0–5 reported 80 fewer minutes of weekly VPA ( p < 0.05) compared to those with no children or just one child in this age group after controlling for all covariates. Finally, adults with three or more children in the household aged 6–17 reported fifty fewer minutes of weekly VPA ( p < 0.05) compared to those with no children, one, or just two in the household. These findings highlight a need to support the vigorous PA behaviors of this population, as the majority of the family-based PA intervention studies to date have primarily focused on family dyads.

Keywords: children health; parent health; family health; moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA); cardiovascular health (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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